Where to Drink: San Francisco

Recently

The cocktail program at Trou Normand focuses on Calvados, Armagnac, and Cognac. But that narrow focus doesn't feel like a gimmick here, and their spin on the Old Fashioned is worth braving the crowds. More

Chase White worked in the kitchen during the early popup days of Saison in San Francisco, but it took a move to NYC for him to step behind the bar, first at Brad Farmerie's Double Crown and The Daily, then at the Experimental Cocktail Club. Back in San Francisco, he's returned to Saison in the role of head bartender. His drinks span the spectrum of tiki riffs and fizzy Champagne drinks to spirit-forward stirred offerings, but the words he keeps returning to in his descriptions are 'texture' and 'umami'. More

Here is your list of true beer essentials in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley: the bars, restaurants, and breweries that curate the most epic beer menus, employ staff who bleed amber, and take the extra step with great food pairings or an ambience that makes you feel like you just warped to Brussels. More

Whether you're feeling like a fresh local beer, a tasty glass of wine, a craft cocktail, or a shot of whiskey, it's all within a couple of blocks: the Divisadero strip is studded with places that have drinks very much worth drinking. Bonus: there are no major hills to climb in the midst of your bar crawling. More

At Bergerac in SOMA (just down the street from Bar Agricole), Russell Davis sprays a mezcal drink with a moonshine tobacco tincture for aroma, flavors another with a Vadouvan spice blend, and attempts to "take barrel aging too far" by serving local bourbon finished in a barrel that has aged a Manhattan cocktail. More

Darren Crawford of Bourbon & Branch describes the cocktail list he's designed at The Vestry—the restaurant and bar next door to the popular Valencia Street music venue The Chapel—as "a little bit of everything, something for everybody." More

Longoria, who previously manned the bar at Aziza, is no stranger to incorporating flavors and techniques often used by chefs into his cocktails. Check out the drinks he's making at Acquerello's new spinoff restaurant, right this way. More

Speakeasy Brewery turned sweet 16 this weekend and had a big ol' birthday bash to celebrate at their San Francisco brewery and tap room. Here are a few of the brand-new and limited-release beers we tried. More

After a successful run at Big, which closed in June, barmen Brian Felley and Mo Hodges have taken up a Monday night residency at Muka, an upcoming tapas restaurant located between Hayes Valley and Civic Center. They're serving rum-focused cocktails alongside tacos from Tango & Stache. More

It's become a San Francisco must-Instagram: the iconic Pantone-swatch menu of the Mission's Trick Dog. But seven months into the bar's tenure on 20th Street, they've done away with the vivid color-swatch booklet, and started fresh with a record album full of new drinks. More

"This place is over the top," says bar manager Daniel Hyatt (formerly of The Alembic) of his new bar at Roka Akor in San Francisco's Jackson Square. We took a peek at the bar, the massive ice-making machine, and Hyatt's summer cocktails. More

When Kate Bolton and Alex Smith sat down to develop the drinks list for Novela, they found themselves facing a familiar challenge. How can you reconcile a craft cocktail program with a high-volume, potentially impatient clientele? The answer: punch on tap.More

The dinner showcased new releases from Sierra Nevada Brewery and Boulevard Brewing Co., including Terra Incognita, a collaboration between the two breweries, paired with specially-designed dishes from Chef Adam Dulye. More

Though summer nights elsewhere might have you craving a tall, frosty Tom Collins, the truth is that even the warmest San Francisco days dissolve into cool evenings. What's a bar manager to do? For Danny Louie and Ethan Terry of Alembic on Haight Street in San Francisco, the answer is to craft seasonal drinks—"but not too seasonal," says Louie. You'll see ripe strawberries, but not in a highball. There's a tart tequila drink, but it has added complexity from Oregon-made coffee liqueur, Mexican Fernet, and Spanish brandy. More